Researchers have succeeded in developing a working computer without any silicon circuitry. This works using light, guiding information through the optical fiber.
Optical fiber was developed in the 1950s and 1960s, yet we still find quite fascinating uses for it today. It can, for example, be used to detect tsunamis or earthquakes. Here, an international team of researchers from the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology in Jena (Germany) used it to develop a rather fascinating concept: a computer without electronic circuits.
A luminous innovation
This project took place under the leadership of Professor Mario Chemnitz and Dr. Bennet Fischer and the results were published in this article in the journal Advanced Science. So how does this computer work? Information (images, sounds) passes inside it in the form of light pulses which change colors as they travel through the fiber. The computer then analyzes these color combinations to understand and classify the information quickly with very high precision.
During a pilot study, researchers succeeded in diagnosing cases of COVID-19 infections by analyzing voice samples. For the moment, this method has achieved a level of precision never before matched by other analysis systems. This could almost sound like science fiction, but it’s definitely real.
Towards greener IT?
Another undeniable advantage of this discovery: a considerable reduction in the energy required to operate the computer. Excellent news, when we see the evolution of the consumption of computer components over the years. Furthermore, this discovery is not confined to remaining locked within the four walls of a laboratory since it already has the potential to be implemented in current computer architectures.
In theory, this fiber-based system would be capable of carrying out very complex calculation operations, which were rather the prerogative of very powerful computers. This, using only a fraction of the energy required by conventionally designed computers. The researchers behind the study even imagine being able to apply this technology to portable devices in the future, such as tablets or smartphones. 21st century computing could therefore potentially do without silicon!
Sources: Tech Radar, Advanced Science
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